Maritime industry leaders have renewed calls for African countries to take ownership of their economic, professional and regulatory priorities, urging governments to stop outsourcing the continent’s future to foreign platforms and conferences.
The call was at a high-level Mariners Forum Conversation held at the Waterside Centre, Lagos, where stakeholders converged to discuss the future of Africa’s maritime sector and professional development.
Speaking at the forum, Chairman of the Waterside Centre and former Minister of Interior, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, said Africa must build and sustain its own platforms to tackle long-standing challenges in public health, poverty, trade and skills development.
Iheanacho, who is also Chairman of Integrated Oil and Gas, criticised the tendency to host major conversations on African issues in non-African locations, noting that such settings often sideline the continent’s real priorities.
“We don’t need to go to Brazil or Europe. We can host our conversations here. We can shape our own policies,” he said.
He stressed that Africa must move beyond talk to the formulation and enforcement of practical policies, adding that domestic platforms are capable of driving sustainable change if properly supported.
In a presentation titled “The Integrated Future of Support for Professionals,” Iheanacho highlighted widening skill gaps in the global shipping industry, which he said is being transformed by automation, digitalisation and advanced connectivity.
According to him, modern vessels are increasingly becoming drone-like platforms equipped with sensors, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) systems, requiring new competencies from seafarers. These include digital literacy, data analysis, mastery of automated systems, environmental and regulatory knowledge, as well as communication and leadership skills.
He added that environmental protection standards now demand near-scientific understanding, noting that practices such as dumping waste or discharging untreated ballast water are no longer acceptable under global regulations.
Also speaking, Mrs. Rollens Macfoy, Managing Director of OceanDeep Services Limited and President of WIMA Nigeria, called for a coordinated pressure group to address persistent gaps in Nigeria’s maritime training and certification system.
Macfoy lamented decades of inadequate support for Nigerian cadets, despite her experience training maritime professionals in Ghana, the United Kingdom and Germany. She said many Nigerian youths remain uncompetitive against better-certified foreign seafarers who secure high-paying positions, including ship captains earning between $8,000 and $10,000 monthly.
She criticised systemic challenges ranging from non-technocrat leadership to the shortage of vessels for onboard training, questioning why cadets are forced to rely on expensive foreign programmes instead of utilising available domestic vessels.
Macfoy urged regulators and maritime agencies to directly confront these issues through facility audits and strict enforcement of standards, warning that without sustained pressure, Nigeria risks repeating decades of missed opportunities.
On his part, President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), Capt. Tajudeen Alao, raised concerns over reforms surrounding the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), questioning deviations from its original mandate.
Tracing the policy to the 1987 shipping regulation under Decree 10, Alao said the cabotage framework was designed to channel a percentage of ship assessments into promoting indigenous ship ownership and capacity development.
“At what point did government alter the purpose of this fund?” he asked, warning that constant policy shifts undermine confidence and weaken Nigeria’s maritime growth.
He urged stakeholders to challenge inconsistencies and insist on adherence to the original intent of cabotage laws, stressing that policy changes should reflect the will of industry players.
Earlier in her remarks, Chief Executive Officer of the Waterside Centre, Dr. Hope Orivri, said the Centre is positioning itself as a hub for the maritime community to engage, collaborate and address sector-wide challenges.
She noted that the Centre aims to connect industry stakeholders with coastal communities while ensuring continuous review of activities to deliver measurable impact across the maritime value chain.
The event was attended by master mariners, veteran marine engineers and industry leaders, including President of the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES), Engr. Israel Obadan, and Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), Mr. Bolaji Sunmola, among others.
